Out There in the Shadows
by Chocolate Squarepants
Summary: Riddick is a criminal. Arista is a lost soul, a mystery. Both were thrown away, treated unfairly in life yet carry the ability to survive. Different yet similar. Are they strong enough to handle the issues that face them when their ship crashes and they must deal with the other survivors, strange noises, and each other? Can their weaknesses also be their strengths in the darkness?
1. Chapter 1

I wonder why people whine, and I'm not talking about a little kid whine when they can't get something like 'but whyyyy Mommy?'.

Nope, not that kind of whining.

I'm talking about that loooong whining where every little thing in the world is against them and that their life is so hard and so on.

Now I know almost everyone says that you know, the whole whining about how their life sucks and that they have so many issues and blah blah blah. I'm not hating on them, but I really cannot stand when it's all that they talk about.

My life wasn't peaches and cream either, but you don't hear me going around saying that people don't want me and all this other crap. I know people don't want me in their life but guess what, I got over it and moved on. Not everyone in the world is going to like you, get over it, that's just how life works.

Now I'm usually a quiet person, I keep to myself, don't get involved with people and things would be better off. That doesn't mean I'm going to be rude and ignore someone that has no idea that their talking to…well. They don't know who they're talking to, just trying to make conversation.

Usually, I wouldn't mind, but this old woman was about get punched in the fucking mouth, and her teeth were about to become real comfortable to the street. We were at the docks, waiting for transport to go to Hellion Prime. She had come up to me, saying she thought I was lonely and started making a conversation. I didn't answer her much, but I don't believe she minded because she continued talking like it was a normal conversation.

Of course, though the transport was running late and we had been standing here waiting for around an hour. I didn't even know her name, but I didn't give a flying fuck because all she had been talking about for the full hour was politics and the nerve of the crew for not being prepared and then she started about her dog, Mr. Doodles, and how she hoped he was ok in the cargo hold and all this crap.

First off, what kind of person names their pet Mr. Doodles. For something she claims to love so much, gave it a suck ass name.

Second, she's over here trying to go into my personal life now. Asking me about my family and if I'm with anyone and all this crap.

I was about an inch away from saying 'Lady, I don't know you, I don't want to know you. What the hell makes you think I'm going to tell you my personal business when I don't even know nor like your ass.'

Thankfully for her, the ship started allowing people on, and the topic of conversation was changed to relief at getting out of the sun. As she moved to grab her luggage, I hefted my duffle bag up and onto my shoulder and walked away before she knew I was leaving.

Giving my ticket to the man at the doors, I moved through the crowd and those putting their things away before going to their cyro pods. I reached my respected cyro and stared at my reflection; I had always hated these damn things. Every single time I get in one, I wake up halfway through and then it's like I'm trapped. Awake but unable to move, stuck hearing everything going on around me.

Sighing, I kneeled down and stuffed my bag into the little compartment at the bottom so I could access it quickly when the journey was over. I'm not comfortable with crowds and seeing these people, walking around like chickens without their heads, scrambling around, so out of order.

I leaned against my chamber and watched the 'ants' do their jobs. I noticed a man and woman talking with each other, a couple from the way they were looking at each other. From the looks of them and their clothes, they were probably free settlers. My attention was pulled towards two little boys running down the aisle, dodging people as they ran. They were dressed in dark brown and tan turbans and robes; one seemed seven and the other maybe around eleven or twelve years old.

"Hassan! Ali!", A deep voice called out. Turning my head, I saw a dark-skinned man with glasses and similar garb gesturing for them to join him and another boy around sixteen. The two boys ran back, and I watched them for a sec before growing bored.

People had already begun to enclose themselves in the cyro chambers, and the aisle was less crowded. I sat in front of mine and decided to sketch out the people and ship around me. I wanted to stay out of the death chamber as I liked to call it, as long as I could.

Getting bored, I closed my sketch book and stood up walking around the ship. Everyone had gone into their prospective chambers, allowing to me to walk in peace. The sound of the ship getting ready for takeoff was the only sound I could hear.

"Hey! What are you doing over there?!" a women's voice yelled out. I only moved my eyes to see a short blonde woman standing a few feet away from me.

She was dressed in a suit that showed she was part of the ships' crew. The name tag on her shirt read 'C. Fry' and I could tell that she and I were not going to get along.

"I said, what are you doing. You're not supposed to be over here." Fry put her hands on her hips and tilted her head up a little, trying to seem bigger probably. But it wasn't going to work at all, I'm tall for a woman, being 5"10, five inches over the 'standard' height. Fry stood at a mere five foot four and wasn't intimidating in the slightest.

"I was merely looking," I responded. My voice came out low and in a drawl, showing how uncaring I was over this conversation.

"You've had your look, get back to your cyro and mind your own business."

"I'm quite comfortable where I am. You're obviously not the captain, and therefore any 'demands' you may have are irrelevant to me. So, I'd say go back and do whatever you need to do and leave me alone. I'm wasting my breath talking to you."

She stared at me with a glare, her mouth open in shock. She took in a breath of air to retort, but I only raised an eyebrow and brushed past her to continue walking through the ship.

"Why you piece o-" she growled, but I just waved lazily behind me and proceeded to the next part of the ship.

Glancing to my right, I saw a chamber that was different than the others. Tilting my head, the curiosity in me grew to an aching point before I walked over to the chamber

I traced the words that were illuminated in black on a slant by the handle. "Lockout Protocol! No Early Release," I murmured before looking at the man inside the cyro.

Maaaaaan, when I tell you just looking at this guy got me all hot and bothered, I ain't joking.

He was tall, probably about six foot three with a muscular build. His tan muscles were completely visible due to the black tank top he had on. His head was shaved, his eyes were hidden by a black blindfold which disappointed me as I wished I could see his eyes.

Either way, I wouldn't have been able to, his eyes would be closed' I thought to myself.

Ignoring my thoughts, I inspected the rest of him, missing his head tilt to the side and a shine come from a small hole in the corner of the blindfold. I ran my hand over the glass where his face was, and I could have sworn I heard a low rumble come from him.

Pulling away, I took a few steps back and decided to get into my 'death chamber' and try and get some sleep. Walking away, I failed to see the man's head follow me out.

Fry was gone from the area which was good as I didn't feel like speaking/seeing her. Glaring at the cyro, I reluctantly got in and strapped myself into the harness and closed my eyes.

Hopefully, the ride would be over and quick, but I knew that I would wake up in a few hours as I could never stay in the induced sleep it was supposed to create.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black/Riddick or any of the characters. I only own Arista.

Red. It was everywhere, all over the walls and floors.

It slid down and dropped off corners, covering everything. There was so much of it. Everything was silent besides the slight 'drip' sound that happened every time a drop would hit the ground. It was dark in the room, the dark red color not helping with the light.

In the far corner, a little girl with metallic purple hair with silver highlights sat in the corner. Her body was covered in bruises and scars; her clothes were covered in blood. She rocked herself back and forth; arms wrapped tightly around her legs. Her hair covered her face; whimpers could be heard coming from her.

All of sudden, loud thumps could be heard coming from behind a door, and a light turned on. A shadow could be seen under the door, unmoving, the person's breathing was hard as though they had just run a marathon.

The door banged open, flooding the room with harsh white light. The light revealed a body in the room, across from the little girl. It was the body of a woman, similar to the little girl, sharing the same unique hair. However, this woman was covered in blood, her hair resembling more of a red than purple. Her brown eye was wide open, glazed over and unseeing. A long slash mark covering her right eye used to be was bleeding heavily over into the left eye. The rest of her body was cut open and appeared to be bitten in random places.

Upon seeing the woman, the child started screaming, and the man in the doorway began stomping over to the child.

"No! No! No!," the child screaming and threw herself away from the man.

I gasped in shock, eyes flashing open and I threw myself up against the door of the cyro chamber. My eyes flashed around wildly, red was flashing in my vision constantly. Everything was shaking, and it was evident that something had gone wrong.

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath in and unhooked the harness from the back wall and opened the door. I could hear Fry's voice and a man's yelling towards the front of the ship but ignored it. Kneeling down, I quickly grabbed my duffle bag and taking the harness; I moved into the next compartment. I could see the cop beginning to wake up, but I ignored him and decided to climb into the rafters and secure myself up there.

I could tell that they weren't going to be able to prevent this ship from crashing, from the tilt of the ship, we were going too fast and steep. All of a sudden I heard a loud boom, then another, and another and the ship was getting lighter.

"They're dropping passenger cabins," I muttered before cursing and climbing faster.

The booms stopped, and I heard cry scream out, "Owens!"

"You got 10 seconds to level this beast out! "

"I'm not dying for these people!"

"10 seconds Fry!" he replied, and she shouted again before I felt the ship starting to shake even more.

Strapping the harness to the beam, I touched the ceiling and felt it heating up. We were gonna crash soon and hard, bracing myself. I took in a few deep breaths to calm down.

"Never taking the fucking backways again," I growled to myself as I heard pieces of the ship ripping off.

Looking down, I saw the cop stumbling around outside of the chamber and shook my head. 'Stupid' I thought when all of a sudden, the back of the ship ripped off and I felt myself be dragged down before stopping.

I choked a little from the harness hitting my neck but ignored the pain and closed my eyes, clutching onto my bag.

Wind ripped fiercely around the cabin, whipping my hair into my face. Cracking an eye open, I saw the cop dangling from one of the cords, holding onto dear life due to the fact he was about a foot away from falling out of the ship. Cyro chambers were ripping out of the walls, hitting each other and falling over, some flying out the back of the ship.

'Poor fuckers' I thought for a moment. At least, they wouldn't have to wake up and see all this shit.

Out the back, I could see the planet below us, and of course, they had to pick the worst fucking spot to crash. In the middle of a damn desert, I continued to watch to see maybe if there would be some forest or water or that we would pass the wasteland but it just kept on going.

"Holy sh-" I started before a strong lurch happened and my head hit the beam behind me. Spots popped up in my vision, and I blinked a few times to try and clear it, but eventually everything went blank.

I woke up to banging noises and voices coming from somewhere below me. Silently unclipping the harness, I turned onto my stomach and saw the couple from before moving rocks from one of the compartments on the wall.

A child rolled out from the tube once they moved the stones, obviously a stowaway. "Did we make it?" the child asked, and the couple joked. The boy laughed a little before looking up and seeing me gasping in surprise.

The others moved to look up, but I quickly pressed myself into the corner, out of sight and crawled down the pipe towards the back.

"What's wrong?" the woman asked. Her voice held an Australian accent to it, something I hadn't heard in years.

"Nothing, I thought I saw someone." From the voice of the kid, it was a girl, but they were dressed as a boy. Probably trying to hide her actual gender, for reasons I didn't particularly care.

I'm not good with kids, and they didn't like me either which was just peachy to me.

"Come on," intervened the man. "Should continue looking for survivors."

"I'm Shazza," the woman told the girl, "his is me husband Zeke."

"Jack," the girl answered. From where I was I could see she tried to puff up her chest a little. The couple didn't notice, it wasn't something most would pick up on, but there was a slight tremble in her voice. Tell-tale signs of a lie, definitely trying to hide the fact that she was a girl.

'Interesting,' I thought as I watched them leave and continue to

Their voices eventually disappeared as they walked away, further into the ship. Waiting a minute, I jumped down silently and looked around the cabin. The glass was broken and the door slightly unhinged of the cyro where the strange man had been.

'Wonder if he survived, shame such a person would go to waste…oh well.' I thought to myself. He would have posed a slight threat if something happened.

Moving my bag over my shoulders, I put back on my glasses. They had been off when 'Jack' had seen me. Mus had fallen off when I bumped my head; they had been on when I was talking to Fry and when I had climbed onto the beams during the crash.

I flinched slightly when I put the glasses on, touching my cheek, I felt a long cut from my hairline to an inch away from my lip. Thankfully it wasn't deep and was only bleeding slightly. There were also a few cuts on my hands and knuckles, some bruising was happening already but other than that and my headache, I was all good considering we just crash landed on a what seemed like deserted planet.

Luckily, they weren't broken and were only slightly dusty. Kneeling, I took out a white scarf to wrap around my head to provide shade and cover my hair a bit. Didn't need these people coming up to me and asking me questions.

Wrapping the scarf around my head and neck, I lifted the duffle bag and stepped out into the sun.

The temperature immediately raised twenty degrees, though I didn't mind as I preferred hotter climates. The only issue was that I only had a water bottle or two in my bag. Just looking around I could tell that water would most definitely be an issue while we were in these climates.

The only thing that pissed me off was that the mother fletching sun was blue. Blue!

It caused everything it touched to be bathed in a bluish hue, which was strange and it took me a moment to get used to. My eyes were sensitive to light and this whole blue shit was making my eyes burn even with my sunglasses.

'Suck it up baby girl,' I thought. 'At least your still alive.'

Looking out behind the ship, I saw the destruction that the ship had caused. There were fires and pieces of bodies, metal and chambers scattered all over. I looked over the sight and knew that if anyone had survived back there they were either dead or dying.

From the screams coming from inside the ship that I recognized as the other crew member, there was no medical supplies. I could hear Fry shouting for the med kit, only for her to stop suddenly and knew that if someone got hurt, we were screwed.

Well…they were at least. I had a few bandages and gauge with some alcohol wiped but that was about it. I didn't get hurt normally and if I did…I don't get hurt often.

Leaning against the side of the ship, I noticed a few people were walking out of the ship and turn in my direction. I moved to head back into the ship but it was too late, they began waving their arms and I could faintly hear them yelling.

Groaning, I pulled the scarf over my lips to cover my mouth from the sand blowing in the wind. "Time to meet the family," I murmured before walking towards them.


	3. Chapter 3

As I walked up to the group, I looked over each of them carefully. I noticed that the couple and the man with the three kids that I had been inspecting earlier before the crash were there. The little stowaway filled with energy was there and talking a mile a minute and jumping around waving her hands even though I was almost seven feet away. I couldn't help but chuckle a little though, I'm not a kid person but she was cute, and I could see that she had spirit.

There was a very skittish man dressed in, what honestly, resembled a bathrobe. He was pacing around, always cleaning his little glasses and wiping the sweat from his forehead. It was hot, yes, but the amount that he was sweating wasn't only just the heat but nerves as well. He didn't seem much like an adventurer more like a man that would hide himself up in his room or house and never leave.

"Hi," the kid shouted and I winced slightly from the loudness. I had sensitive hearing, and she was a little too loud to handle.

"Are you from the crash," the man in the uniform. I raised an eyebrow and looked around at the empty wasteland.

"Well ain't any other place to come from around here," I replied.

They all looked at me weird causing me to shift a little uncomfortably but shrugged it off.

He blinked a few times before chuckling and nodded his head, though something flashed through his eyes quickly. "Yeah, your right."

I hummed and eyed him up and down slightly from behind my shades and held back a sneer at the vibe I was getting from him. He was beginning to fidget, creeping me out a little and made me slightly cautious. I had been around enough drugs and addicts to know the signs of someone that was on drugs. I glanced at his badge, 'Johns' was read across it and I nodded and turned away from him and looked around the area.

'Got to stay away from that guy,' I thought to myself.

"I'm Shazza," the woman said, and I nodded at her in acknowledgment. "This is me husband Zeke, this little ball of energy is our stowaway Jack, that man over there is Paris. The older man back there is Imam and his three sons, Hassan, Ali, and Suleiman."

I looked at each person as she said them, nodding to each. These people were the ones that I would be stuck with until we were rescued or somehow got off this damn planet or found somewhere inhabited. However, something in my gut told me the answer to that. There isn't anyone on this planet to help, and we were on our own.

"Nice to meet you all, my name is Arista."

"I like your name," Jack said, and I smiled softly. "And your voice, it's cool."

"My voice?"

"Yeah," Shazza cut in "your accent is unique haven't heard it before, and Zeke and I have been to many planets for work. Where ya from?"

I shrugged, "not sure exactly but I was raised on Helion Prime by my parents."

"Hmm, interesting."

"Don't you think we should see the damage and maybe see if there's anything around here?" Paris said. He was rubbing his hands and looking around nervous.

"Good idea," Zeke said, "we can climb on top of the ship."

Jumping onto the upper part of the ship, I felt it slightly difficult to breathe but it wasn't that bad, nothing couldn't handle. However, the others were gasping hard as they climbed.

Looking out, I felt a lump rise in my throat at seeing the destruction the ship had done. Broken cyro chambers were scattered everywhere. In the hole that the ship had made by sliding through the sand, pieces of the ship were on fire. Bodies and body parts were littered around; people had been ripped from their chambers and thrown against the sand.

"Poor bastards," I muttered before turning away after seeing a tiny broken body of a child.

I sat down on top of the ship and took a deep breath. Usually, I wouldn't care about death, Death and I were pretty damn close, closer than anyone would ever know. But when it came to children, those who had barely even begun to live…that was just death bitch slapping me and telling me to wake the fuck up.

It was silent besides the wind blowing gently, everyone letting the path of destruction and death sink into everyone's brain. Suddenly the noise of someone climbing the side of the ship and when I turned to see who it is I couldn't hold back the groan that left me when I saw who.

"Of course, the bitch would live," I muttered under my breath. Shazza looked at me curiously, but I shook my head slightly.

She looked around the group, and when her eyes landed on me, I smirked and wiggled my fingers a little causing her to glare.

"Happy to see me again?" I asked her, and she frowned harder and rolled her eyes making me smile even more. I knew that my smile was probably creeping her out. My teeth were kind of sharp; they were similar to the teeth of aquatic animals that used to live on Earth, sharks. Since the sun was blue and how bright it was, my teeth were probably gleaming.

Fry looked away from me as Shazza, and the others walked over to Fry and introduced themselves talking about looking for survivors until they saw the damage. Then they started thanking her for saving their lives.

I tried to hold in my scoff but the others heard and turned to me, and I stood up and wiped myself off. "Oh, yes thanks, Fry, really appreciate it," I walked past them, but as I passed Fry I whispered in her ear, "Thanks for letting go of the handle."

I smiled at her as I saw her nervously wipe her hands on her pants before walking away, calmly walking off the ship and landing on the sand with a slight thud. I took a deep breath and walked into the ship; I could only handle being around people for so long, especially people like Fry and Paris. They were the kind to watch out for, those with a strive for survival. Similar to me. However, their need for survival has the potential to get people hurt or killed. As long as it wasn't me though or one of the little ones, I wouldn't care.

I walked into the ship and took off my glasses, blinking my eyes to readjust to the lighting difference. Walking through the ship, stepping over and leaning under the debris. Coming into one of the rooms, I stopped myself in the doorway.

"You're alive," slipped past my lips before I could hold them in.

The man from earlier was sitting there, the bit and blindfold still present. His arms were tied up on a beam; he was sitting on the floor, his feet chained to the grated floor. His head turned towards me, it; it been ever since I spoke.

My eyes raked over his figure, trailing over his arms that bulging from being held up by the handcuffs. I felt another lump in my throat and, I walked closer to him, kneeling down in front of him.

"You are a very strange but interesting man," I muttered and, his head tilted to the side. "Wonder what you did to get you all tied up in here."

He seemed to take a few deep breaths, it seemed like he was trying to…smell something. Suddenly, he leaned forward fast but he stopped an inch away from my face, I simply cared at him unmoved. I had strategically placed myself that he had tried to do anything funny he wouldn't be able to reach me.

"Sorry big boy, no touching, you're on time out by the decision of that _friend_ of yours."

He seemed to smirk as best as he could with that thing in his mouth; a strange sound came from him. His was kind of guttural and deep, it sent shivers of down my spine. I reached out with a finger and traced it down his jawline and whispered, "look up".

I stood up and walked out the room, putting my glasses back on and covered my eyes, leaving the dark part of the ship and into the sun in a piece of the ship that was only attached by a few wires. I sat back against the wall, hiding in the shadows with the sun shining in through the holes.

It was silent before I began to whistle, the song of death, one my mother and father would hum to me when I was younger. I heard thudding footsteps before hearing, probably Johns, scream out "Shit! Fucking hell!" then fast, fading footsteps.

I smiled and chuckled a little before relaxing again after tensing with him near and closed my eyes.

"Run, run, as fast you can. You can't catch me I'm the big bad man," I said with a smirk, my laugh echoing in the small area.


	4. Chapter 4 (Riddick's POV)

Burning. Needing. Craving. All those words described the way I wanted her, the woman that set a fire deep inside me, inside the animal. It was new and it pissed me off. When Big Bad and I got on this ship, I had a plan on how to get out of here, had everything all planned out. But then that smell hit me and it all went out the window. The sensations hit and the drive to find that scent and take it over, claim it as mine. All plans went to the back of my mind and the animal within me broke out causing me to lunge forward and hit the cyro chamber glass before pulling pulled by the chains.

I searched as best I could through the tear in the blindfold that Johns had put over my eyes after taking my goggles. The ship had gone silent as most of the passengers were in their chambers but I heard someone moving around and be joined by another.

One started yelling at the other, one of the crew members. Her voice was annoying and slightly scratchy. The other was silent for a moment, the voice I heard made me try to lunge forward again but the chains prevented me.

Her voice, it was like silk and honey but it held a tone that she wasn't meant to be messed with, strong and independent. It made my heart race, my animal crazy and my dick hard and I wanted to see her, I had to. The thought of 'why the fuck do I care about her voice or anything about her in general?' but it was pushed to the side.

The footsteps moved, they had separated and one was coming into my area of the ship. The smell from before hit me and a growl started to build in my throat. I looked through the hole but she was too far to the right to see without it being obvious that I was awake. I held my breath as she walked closer to me and wanted to lean forward when I saw her step into view.

She…was nothing I had ever seen before. Her skin was a caramel color, African decent, but her hair was long and wavy, though a unique color. It was metallic purple, it looked silver almost under some of the lights above us. She was curvy and fit, didn't seem to be any fat on her besides her ass. It that made me want to grab and squeeze it until it was bruised, then hit it from the back till she never forgot my name. I couldn't see her eyes since they were hidden behind a pair of dark shades which was strange as it was almost pitch black in the room.

Tilting her head, she traced the words on my chamber slowly and read them out. Her lips seemed soft, bow shaped and seemed to have a natural smirk, like the cat that ate the canary. Her voice made me shiver and a growl slipped out and she looked up at me and looked me over.

A breath let me know that she must like what she sees because her arousal was now swirling in the air, making her even more intoxicating. She stood there for a few more minutes before walking away and I looked after her, wishing she would come back. The further away she got, the angrier and frustrated I began and I tugged on my restraints in aggravation.

 **An hour later**

Hearing the footsteps coming towards me, I lifted my head slightly expecting Johns to be standing there with his stupid ass smirk. But breathing in the scent, I knew that wasn't the case.

"You're alive," she whispered.

I wanted to squirm around at her voice but kept myself still and choose to watch her through the hole. She walked over, her walk was near silent and it actually seemed like she was almost gliding. This woman was a mystery, she seems innocent but I could tell that she was dangerous, deadly when she needed to be. I could sense that she was a survivor, might be useful for more than one thing while we were stuck on this shit stain planet.

She moved in front of me and crouched down, looking me over again.

"You are a very strange but interesting man…wonder what you did to get you all tied up in here."

The thought of her simply staring at me like I was a science experiment or some unknown species pissed me off. Not thinking I lunged towards her and bared my teeth as best I could with the bit in my mouth, but she didn't even flinch.

Thinking she was going to scream and run I waited but she simply continued to stare at me before saying that I wasn't allowed to touch. This woman's mouth was going to drive Johns crazy I could tell, and possibly myself too.

She leaned in close to me, I could see her eyes were a silver color like my own, except it was her entire eyeball and it seemed like black veins came from the sides and came together to form her pupil. Most would find them scary, horrifying eyes, but I found them beautiful.

She traced her finger down my jawline and whispered, "look up" then walking away abruptly. I did as she told and saw the break in the beam and smirked.

'Smart woman,' I thought before getting ready for my escape. "Prepare yourself my violet flower, 'cause I'm coming for your ass."

I took a deep breath before relaxing against the wall, 'soon' I thought to myself and prepared for the pain of dislocating my shoulders. "Time to have some fun."

* * *

Hey guys! This isn't really a chapter lol just wanted to fill you guys in on what's going through Riddick's head from the beginning to where you all last read from Arista.

Please review if you can! (I'm working on the next full chapter now dont worry :) )


	5. Chapter 5

I took a sip of water from my container, the liquid ran down my throat and quenched my thirst. In the distance, I could hear the others running around, Johns yelling and trying to act like the big dog in the yard. The others were running around like chickens without heads, listening without a second thought.

I scoffed at their actions and kept pushed them and this planet out of my head. The only thing I was concerned about was my water. I felt the coolness run through me and sighed in relief, feeling energized. However, I forced myself to screw the cap back onto the container and put it back in my duffle bag. I had to ration it until we found water, if we didn't…

Not wanting to move, I sat there in the shade of the ship looking through where the sun was shining through, watching the dust particles floating through the air. I felt myself drifting, I was tired and the fact that I hadn't eaten anything today was beginning to get to me.

My eyes were closing when I heard a loud crash and a scream, red flashed through my vision, and I shot up. Scrambling up, I looked around quickly before grabbing my bag and walking out of the ship. Looking around, I jogged over to the group around thirty feet from the ship near where the bodies were.

They were all crowded around Shazza, Zeke was looking over her arm which was bleeding from the palm of her hand and slightly on her forearm.

"What happened?" I asked, watching the blood run down her arm.

"Tried to lift one of the chambers, broken glass cut me and I dropped it on my arm," Shazza said wincing as Zeke ripped a part of his shirt and wrapped up her arm. I never took my eyes away from her arm, memories filling my head, paralyzing me.

"Arista," Johns said. Everyone turned to look at her and looked her over with curiosity and weariness.

Silence fell over everyone as the others watched Arista staring down at something, unmoving and unblinking. She seemed to be muttering to herself under her breath, swaying a little as though unbalanced.

"Arista."

Everything was all muffled; the red was coming darker and brighter, swirling together. Flames began eating everything up, the walls, the wooden floor, the bed, curtains, the body.

"Arista!"

I jumped and looked over at Johns, "yes?"

"you alright, lost you for a second."

I nodded, "I'm fine…I just don't handle blood well I guess."

He nodded and looked me over, but this time it wasn't out of courtesy making me narrow my eyes at him though he couldn't see it.

"So, what's the game plan here?" I asked.

"Well, we were going to go and search for water when it was nightfall so it's cooler but…," Fry said with an attitude and I rolled my eyes before cutting her off.

"Can't do that with three suns, now can you?"

She glared at me and moved to step closer to me, but Johns came in between causing me to raise an eyebrow. Fry wasn't shit; I could handle her easily without trying, though I had to give her some credit I suppose for trying to stand up to me.

"Alright, calm down now Fry," Johns said, and this just made her angrier. She listened though and stepped back and folded her arms over her chest.

"Now in case you didn't know, Riddick escaped," Johns said facing me and I acted shocked and stiffened up, looking around. "Calm down sweet thing, he ain't gonna get you," he chuckled. "So, we're going to stay in groups. We need to find some weapons; my shotgun can't do the job alone."

"I have some weapons," Paris said, and we all looked him shocked. "in the cargo hold."

'Hmm wouldn't take him as one to carry weapons' I thought.

"Alright well we can use those, we'll all get jobs need to start working on a plan here," Fry said, and Johns nodded in agreement.

"Zeke, I'm going to need you to bury the bodies, you're the only person strong enough at the moment. Jack, Shazza, Paris can stay here and try to sort through the ship for anything salvageable. Everyone else come with me to go search for water."

Everyone nodded along, listening to the 'leader.' I only kept a straight face as they all went and collected their so-called weapons. I had heard Paris say that he collected antiques, things from ancient times. I already the weapons wouldn't do much to help, thankfully, I had a few on my person.

I had two knives strapped to the inside of my thighs though my white skirt covered them and the halters. There were white shorts made into it, and the thigh high slits made them easy to reach. I had changed into my white crop top while in the shady part of the hidden part of the ship, so I was not burning up.

Tightening my scarf around my head, I was tempted to take it off, though I knew that it would make me more noticeable which I didn't need nor want. Sighing, I waited for the others to come back so we could go and search for water.

"Hey," a voiced said, and I turned to see Jack. I nodded at her in response.

"You're not much of a talker, are you?"

"No." She looked at me, and my patience was beginning to grow thin, "what do you want child?"

"Why do you wear that scarf?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Aren't you going to grab a weapon?"

"Are you?"

"Shazza and Fry said I couldn't have one," she pouted. "I don't like Fry she's trying to act like my mom."

I scoffed," Yeah she's an uppity bitch that one...don't repeat that." I warned her and pointed at her threatening.

She nodded with a smile, "I won't."

"Hmm," I mumbled and began to walk away, but I heard footsteps and turned to see her following me. "What do you want from me? Why are you following me?"

"Because I'm bored and you seem entertaining."

"Ugh, I will never have children," I muttered and continued to walk around.

"Alright! My group follows me!" Johns yelled out, and I began walking in the same direction he was heading.

Jack still followed me, but thankfully, she was mainly silent besides a few questions that I left unanswered.

"What do you think about Riddick?" she asked, and that was the issue that stirred my curiosity.

"Who?"

She looked at me as though I were crazy, "Riddick. The murderer that guy Johns brought with him…he escaped you know?"

"Yes, I was not aware of his name, however."

"Yeah. Don't tell the others this, but I think Riddick's really cool. You know, a real badass."

"I'm sure the others don't approve," I smirked.

"Yeah," she sighed, "they won't let me near him though that wasn't going to happen anyway since he's gone now. But Johns said that he would come and skull fuck us in our sleep after Paris asked."

I raised an eyebrow at that and ignored the fact that she cursed. I wasn't her parents, wasn't my job to monitor her language.

"Why do you have such a strong liking to him?"

She thought for a moment before shrugging, "I believe he's a badass."

I shrugged and continued walking on, the rest of our water searching group had joined us. Johns had his gauge up and was looking around. His forehead was glistening with sweat, more than what seemed healthy as no one else besides maybe Paris was sweating as much.

"What's up with Johns?" Jack asked me, and I shrugged, although I had a feeling.

His fingers were shaking, in fact, his whole body was shaking though he was doing a good job as to hiding it to the others. Ali and Suleiman were throwing rocks at one of the hills, and Johns spun around quickly, ready to shoot.

He glared at the children when he saw it was just them. "What the hell are they doing?" he asked Imam.

"Throwing stones to keep the devil away," Imam replied with a kind smile.

Johns grumbled and walked away; the kids finished throwing their rocks and ran around. There was a small talk between Johns and Fry but other than that no one talked. Suddenly, Ali and Suleiman began yelling and pointing.

There seemed to be these strange looking trees up one of the hills. The others ran towards it, but I kept walking. I could sense that there was no water over there, the land was too dry and there was no moisture in the air.

Walking up the hill, I looked down to see what the others were seeing and was taken back by the enormous size of the boneyard we had stumbled upon.

"Magnificent," I mumbled and started heading down there.

"What could have killed all these giant creatures?"

"Whatever is or was the alpha predator of this land," I spoke as I walked down the hill.

I slid the rest of the way down and jogged over to one of the big bones. Running my hands over the bones, I admired their strength.

"Beautiful, absolutely marvelous" I muttered and took off my sunglasses, closing my eyes.

I could feel each groove and crack in the bone, could feel the power this beast had when it was alive, could see its story. As I moved down the skeleton, I came into deeper grooves, and a flash of silver and blue colored creatures with rows of sharp teeth and claws came into my mind, and my eyes snapped open.

"You were strong," I whispered before moving away and catching up with the others, placing my sunglasses back on. Everyone was walking around, looking over the bones as I was. Walking through of the ribcages, I began to hum the Death song, something that had been kept in my family for generations.

The tune was slow and morbid, showing and filling me with a sense of loss, hope, and desire. The desire to be whole, wanting to be with my people, my family, the wonderment of not being alone and suffering. Though I knew, I would not see my family again for years to come, if at all, for with the life I live it would be a long journey before I would be granted that gift.


	6. Chapter 6

I leaned against the bones of one of the larger animals' ribcage, getting out of the sun for a moment. Gasping slightly, I scrambled and took out the container and started gulping down my water. I knew that I shouldn't be drinking this much, I would run out as it didn't seem like we were going to find water anytime soon. However, all those rational thoughts flew out my mind as I drained the water.

I felt myself calming down and pulled the water away from my lips. Keeping my eyes closed, I focused on regulating my breathing and calming my heart down.

"What do we have here," a baritone and gravelly voice asked. Tensing, I lifted myself up, taking out one knife and hiding it behind my wrist. "Easy there little violet."

He stood there, at the entrance of the ribcage, there was another skeleton at the other end, so he was blocking my way out. It would be a tight fit, but I would possibly be able to slide through the spaces.

"What's your name? I know you can speak so it'd be wise to answer me."

I narrowed my eyes at the slight threat in his words, if he thought he was in control of this situation, then he was wrong.

"Arista," I replied curtly, "and watch that tone of yours, you have no idea who you're talking to so I'd tread carefully if I were you."

He chuckled and began walking towards me though I held my ground. I thought he would stop however he kept moving until he was six feet where I stopped him, "that's close enough."

"Why aren't you afraid?"

"You are the least of my issues, I don't have a reason to be frightened of you," I answered began walking to the side.

"Oh really," he asked and did the same as I. "I've killed people you know? There's nothing stopping me from killing you."

"Yes, there is," I responded and stopped walking with my back to the entrance.

"And what is that?"

"I won't die without a fight and certainly not to or because of you."

I kicked a rock towards him, hitting him in the face and turned to run when I felt him kick my foot out from under me. Instead of falling thought, I flipped myself and twisted around to land back on my feet facing him. I ducked down avoiding a punch to the face and cut his leg causing him to grunt and move back.

Slowly rising, I lifted an eyebrow and waited for his next move. "Interesting," he said standing up straight.

"What is?" I asked, my curiosity taking over me.

"You're not what I expected, you seem frail but that's not the case."

"Never underestimate your target, it can get you killed."

He raised an eyebrow, "you speaking from experience?"

Tensing up, I glared at him, sunglasses staring into goggles, "that is not any of your business."

"Now it is," he said and I narrowed my eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He stepped closer to me and I moved to cut him but he grabbed my hands and pulled my flush against him, "it means that you are now my business."

"I think the fuck not, I don't know who the fuck you are but I ain't your business or anything for that matter so back off," I growled and shoved him back.

He growled and ripped off his goggles, shoving me roughly back against the bones behind me causing me to grunt. Before I could do anything, he snatched the glasses off my face.

Shining blue/grey met shining silver and black, entrancing me, pulling me into him. It felt like I was floating and the only thing keeping me grounded was him. Suddenly he lurched forward and bit my neck causing me to yell out but his hand covered my mouth causing me to bite down on his hand.

I was so closely pressed against his chest I could feel it vibrating with the growl that seemed to constantly leave his lips in my presence, I could feel his heart beating through his chest and for a few moments it seemed like our hearts were in sync.

"Arista!" a voice yelled out, Imam's voice to be exact. His voice caused Riddick to pull away and I let go of his hand, touching my neck.

Pulling my hand away, I saw the purplish tint of my blood on my fingers and I glared at him though smirked when I saw that I caused him to bleed.

He wiped he blood around his mouth and inspected it, noticing the strange color. "What are you," he asked and I simply grabbed my glasses back from him, turned and walked away.

Imam's voice was growing closer and I did not want to be seen around Riddick for it would only cause issues for myself.

At the entrance of the skeleton, I turned my head to the side speaking to him. "I am of those that is part of and in tune with that in which is needed to survive this place."

"What does that mean?" he asked but I ignored him and walked out and around the corner, placing my glasses back on causing me to bump into Imam.

"Ahh there you are Ms. Arista, you should not wander off with a man like Mr. Riddick lurking around."

I smiled politely at him, "my apologies I got lost in looking at the skeletons."

"It is alright, come let us join the others."

As we walked away, I could feel the stare of eyes boring into the back of my head though I refused to turn around to acknowledge him plus Imam would notice and he was a nice man, didn't want to get him killed.

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Please review, follow and/or favorite! The more you guys review, the more motivation I get to write though I feel like that's what happens for most haha. Until next time, thanks for reading!

Hope you enjoyed :)


	7. Chapter 7

Once we reached the others, I overheard Fry and Johns talking and listened in on the conversation.

"I'm telling you, we shouldn't trust her, I got a bad feeling about her," Fry whispered sharply to johns.

"You're just being paranoid Fry, there's no reason for us not to trust her. Arista has done nothing to make us not need to trust her"

'Ahh so the bitch wants to turn them against me, get rid of me' I thought with a chuckle.

She can try all she wants, I couldn't give less of a fuck about what that chick had to say about me, no matter how hard she tried my ass was getting off of this fucked up planet.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

'Gunshots,' I thought hearing the familiar noise. The others began running back towards the ship and I jogged behind them.

When I caught up with the others I saw Riddick on the ground, Shazza screaming and kicking with Fry and Jack trying to hold her back, Johns was standing over Riddick with his goggles in his hand and a cocky smirk on his face.

From the way things were looking, and the fact that it was Shazza screaming with the scent of blood in the air, Zeke was no longer with us. I walked over to the hole that Zeke had been in and saw blood splattered around a hole that was placed there.

I kneeled against the side and closed my eyes, listening to the sounds coming from the inside of the hole. It was obvious that Zeke hadn't created it. The way the hole was dug seemed sharp and ragged, it wasn't caused by the shovel that he had been using.

"He killed him! He killed him!" Shazza was screaming and I stood up and quietly replied, "no he didn't."

Apparently, it wasn't quite enough as everyone froze and turned to me. "What? It's obvious that he did-" Shazza screamed and I cut her off, "he did not."

"How can you say that?" Fry shrieked and I simply shrugged. "Because it's the truth. My father was a detective as well as a corner. I used to study blood splatter and causes of death back when I was younger. From the splatter around the hole, he was dragged inwards as the blood trail goes further in. From the ragged edges, the hole was created from underneath the ground and with something with sharp ends. Finally, with the amount of blood in the hole, no matter how skilled a murderer is there would be at least a good amount of blood on him."

Everyone looked at Riddick who laid there passed out, there was no sight of blood on him or his shiv. "But if he didn't do it then who did?" Shazza asked her voice raspy.

I shrugged, "I don't know but the facts point that he isn't the one that did. Do what you want but you're blaming the wrong person. Whatever or whoever killed your husband dug that hole and pulled him in."

"I don't care, I'm not trusting him and letting him loose," Johns cut in and I shrugged as he dragged Riddick away. On the outside, I seemed indifferent and calm, collected. However, for some reason, on the inside I was upset and wanted to lash out at Johns for treating him so poorly though.

"Do you really think Riddick is innocent?" Jack asked and everyone turned to me, eying me skeptically.

"That man is far from innocent, however, involving Zeke he isn't the culprit."

"Why should we believe you? How do we know that you aren't the one that killed Zeke."

"Shut up Fry, you're making yourself seem even more stupid than you already are. I was with you all in the boneyard when the shots rang out and you all got here before I did so what sense does that make?" She was silent as her cheeks reddened in embarrassment and I simply scoffed and walked away from them, towards the ship.

I sat back in the shaded part of the ship and took in a deep breath trying to calm down. Fry's idiocy was beginning to grate on my final nerves. My water supply was lower than I thought, apparently, the cap hadn't been screwed on tight enough and now I had left was the half bottle of water.

Riddick had been locked up in the bottom part of the ship, I could hear him rattling his chains a little before becoming silent.

I saw Fry through a crack in the wall heading towards the hallway that would lead to him and raised an eyebrow. Soon after Jack sneaked in after her and my curiosity got the best of me and I got up and followed after them.

"Where's the body?" Fry asked Riddick and was responded with silence. I snuck up behind Jack and wrapped my hand over her mouth silencing her short yell in surprise. She turned to look at me and I put a finger to my lips to which she nodded and I let go of her mouth.

"Alright well what about the noises? The ones Johns said you said you heard."

Riddick remained silent and Fry grew frustrated and backed up a few steps, seeming to get ready to leave when she spoke up again. "You know the others are outside, they're debating on whether or not to leave you here to die."

I thought he would be smart enough to realize that Johns wouldn't be willing to just leave him after going through all the trouble to capture him but apparently, I was wrong.

"You mean the whispers?"

Fry turned back around, now interested in what he had to say. However, he started to freak her out, talking about how blood tastes and how to use ginger schnapps to get rid of the copper taste.

"Let me see your eyes Riddick" Fry said stepping slightly closer.

He chuckled, " you'd have to come a lot closer for that."

Unsurprisingly, she stepped closer. I could see from here that she was interested in Riddick. Her arousal was beginning to fill my nose and I scrunched it up in disgust.

Not just do to the fact that it was Fry, but because it smelled disgusting, like sweat, dirt, unwashed crotch and crusty discharge. To sum it up she smelled like am unwashed pair of undies that belonged to a homeless woman.

"Closer," he whispered and just as he wanted, she followed his command.

This happened three more times before Riddick jumped up and scared Fry.

I heard a something creak and my head snapped towards Jack who had stood up to try and get a closer look, giving us away.

"Whoa where can we get eyes like that?" she asked.

"You got to kill a few people first," he responded and Jack nodded eagerly.

"I can do that."

"Then you got to get locked in slammer where they tell you, you'll never see the sun again and then dig up a doctor and pay 'em to do a surgical shining on your eyeballs."

"So, you can see who's sneaking up on you in the dark!" Jack finished with a large grin and Riddick smirked, "exactly."

"Get out!" Fry screamed, ripping the smile from Jack's face. She repeated herself softer and Jack huffed before walked away.

"Look in the hole," Riddick told Fry. "We already did," she snapped back at him in anger. "Look deeper before leaning back in the dark showing that he was done talking.

"Get out," Fry said to me harshly and I raised an eyebrow and moved down the stairs, closer to them.

"Did you hear me?! I said g-" Fry started to yell and I pulled out my knife and placed it against her throat.

"Watch it **_captain_** ," I hissed sarcastically, "I've had enough lip out of you, the others may think that you saved their asses but I know damn well who the real hero was. You are nothing more than a piece of gum on the bottom of my sandal, a lying piece of shit. So, watch your step with me Fry, I'm not someone to mess around with."

I heard Johns coming towards us and leaned in close to Fry's ear. I could feel her body shaking underneath mine in fear though she was trying to stop herself. "Say anything about this to anyone, I will find out if you even think about this. And watch yourself Fry because when shit hits the fan and trust me it will, I'll be there and I'm not someone you wanna fuck with."

I pulled away from her and placed the knife back in its holster just as Johns came into the room. "He said look deeper into the hole," I told him before leaving the room and heading out towards the others.

There was a bad feeling in my gut and I knew that from here on out things were only going to get worse.

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Hope you enjoyed reading! Until next time!


	8. Chapter 8

The others were gathered around outside the ship, conversing among themselves. I walked up next to Paris and looked around, wiping the sweat from my brow. In the distance waves from the heat could be seen in every direction. It felt like the heat was getting stronger and it was making me mood worse. We stood there for a few moments before Johns and Fry came from out the ship.

"What is going on Mr. Johns?" Imam asked.

"Someone needs to go down there and see if Zeke is still alive," he answered. Paris scoffed and shook his head, "that's impossible none of us are small enough to go down there."

"Then use the kids," Johns said with a shrug. Imam immediately pulled his boys closer, and Shazza did the same to Jack.

"That's crazy! You can't send them down there!" Shazza yelled. "Then your husband is stuck down there if he's still alive," Johns snapped at her causing Shazza to stop talking.

"Fuck it," I said causing everyone to turn towards me, "I'll go down there, nothing better to do, right?"

"Perfect," Fry said, and I narrowed my eyes at her. "I don't remember asking for your input on the matter," I said causing the smile on her face to disappear. I smirked at her and started moving towards the hole.

I knelt and tied my tan boots tighter; I saw someone walk up next to me and stood to see Imam. "We found some rope to tie around your waist, if something happens we can pull you back."

I nodded in gratitude and tied it around my waist, I jumped down into the pit and squinted into the darkness. I could hear something moving along in the tunnel, but it wasn't an immediate threat involving proximity.

"Be careful Arista," Jack said, and I nodded with a smirk before taking a deep breath. I knelt, and army crawled further into the tunnel. I only had to crawl a few feet though before the tunnel ended and revealed a large, dark cave.

Moving further into the cave the ceiling had indents, and I knew that I was now underneath the massive pillars that looked like large ant hills. Streaks of light were coming in through the roof and there some small posts on the ground. Behind one I saw Zeke, or rather his bloody foot still in his boot.

I wasn't surprised though, just one look at the blood around the hole was evident enough!

Something ran in front of me, and I stopped walking and unstrapped my knives and twirled them in my hand. They made a soft 'chink' noise as they cut through the air, the sound a testament to their sharpness. My eyes scanned the area as I tried to find the creature that had flashed in front of me.

'I don't fuck with this shit," I thought to myself with a frown. This whole thing was some bullshit, granted I did offer, but it was only for those kids. I might not like kids, but that doesn't mean I just let them be offered up as bait. I knew for a fact that something was down here and that I had a much higher chance of getting out of the situation than one of the little ones.

A clicking sound came from behind me, and I twirled around and cut with my knife, slashing at some kind of…flying creature. My eyes widened as I saw it flying away before getting hit by its tail sending me flying and into a pillar.

My head hit the pillar, and I bit my lip to keep in my scream and attracting more of those things. However, I think that was too late as I heard more clicking and some screeching starting to emerge. The walls seemed to start moving, and it made me realize that these things were on the walls, running around.

I slowly took off my shades and immediately my vision changed. There were two in front of me, the energy coming off them was immense. I could see the outline of them and the whole cave, their bodies pulsed with blue and purple energy. I could see their head, similar to the one of the hammerhead shark on Earth. Their wings were folded slightly as they used the ends, tipped with claws to walk with as well as their hind legs. The floor of the cave pulsed with the movement of their movements and from the force of the pulses there must be thousands of these killers.

I was dragged out of my analysis as one of them took a step closer and swayed side to side. I growled in response and moved in the same swaying motion. I wasn't going to die without a fight.

It was tense for a few moments before it lunged at me and I ran towards it before moving to the side and kicking off the wall to flip over it. Just as I passed over it, I grabbed one side of its head and reached under, cutting its throat. It immediately crashed down to the ground, and as we landed, I landed on its neck, snapping it with the force of my boots. Hearing the other screech and the flap of wings I jumped up and flipped causing it to fly underneath me and crash into a wall. It screamed in anger and turned towards me, but before it could do anything, I slit its throat and backed away.

As their blood ran out of their wounds, their energy went from neon blue and purple to a black and gray coloring letting me know they were dead.

'Time to get the fuck outta here' I thought before running towards one of the indents and jumping up, digging my knives into the side of the pillar. Lifting my feet up, I slowly started climbing. I could hear the sounds of more of those creatures below me as they began to come forwards. I began banging on the pillar trying to break it down, but it was stronger than I had anticipated.

'Shit,' I thought in a panic as I felt something yank at the rope that was still tied around my waist. Before I could cut it, I was yanked so far down I almost fell out the pillar. Screaming in frustration, I cut the rope and heard a thud as one of the creatures fell from the sudden lack of weight on the line.

Climbing back up I kept banging at the pillar and started screaming. "Jack! Shazza! Imam! I'm over here! For fucks sake, someone get over here!"

********Above ground*****

"I hope she's okay," Jack said causing Imam to look at her and smile. He opened his mouth to speak when all of a sudden, the rope began to move violently. Imam and Shazza quickly moved to grab it.

"What the hell is going on down there?" Shazza grunted in confusion as she and Imam tried to pull her back. Jack watched before noticing something; it sounded like a voice screaming.

"I hear something," she said before running over to one of the pillars to the right. Imam tied off the rope and ran after her, the others following after them.

As they approached a pillar, they could all hear Arista's voice coming from inside. "Quick, get her out!" Jack shouted, and Shazza took her pick out of her utility belt and swung at the pillar, breaking it. Immediately, Imam and Johns reached in grabbed Arista's hands. The others watched as they dragged her out.

"What the hell is on her?" Fry asked disgustedly. There was blue liquid covering her front, but on her head, there was an orange liquid coming from what seemed like a cut on her head.

She screamed and wiggled as they dragged her away from the hole. They all surrounded her asking her loads of questions, and she pushed them away with one hand, the other covering her eyes.

"My shades! Where are they?!" she screamed making them shut up. Johns looked around and found them broken in the dust. "They're broken," he said, and she cursed and knelt her head down on the ground.

"Did you find Zeke?" Shazza asked, but a part of her knew that he was gone. She just needed to hear it though.

"What was left of him," Arista grunted. She took a few moments to calm her breathing before continuing. "There are these things down there, whatever they are they got your husband. They are," she was cut off as all of a sudden the rope was pulled from underneath and she was dragged back towards the pillar.

"Grab her," yelled Shazza and Jack as Johns, Imam, and Fry raced to grab her legs. "Get it the fuck off me for fuck's sake!"

Arista blindly grabbed around and gripped onto Fry who was the closest to her. She leaned down and whispered to her, though to the others it looked like she was trying to get a better grip. "Payback bitch, if those things killed Zeke maybe they should get another snack out of you." Arista opened her eyes, and Fry froze in fear. That orange liquid was starting to come from her tear ducts and the corners of her eyes. However, Arista's eyes were like nothing she had ever seen before, but there was no denying the disgust, hatred, and anger within them. Arista yelled in anger and lurched forward pushing them all to the ground and whirled around cutting the rope, falling back.

Down below they could hear screeching coming from where Arista had just been in before it faded away. Fry scrambled away from Arista who had fallen next to her and back towards Imam and Johns who were starting to get up.

"Woah," Jack said looking at Arista, and everyone turned, and their eyes widened in shock. Arista's scarf had fallen off, and her hair was revealed. The blue light of the sun made her metallic hair shine even brighter; she wiped away the orange liquid away though they had a feeling it was her blood. More of her blood streamed from her eyes which they couldn't see as they were clamped shut to hide them from the sun though it wasn't doing much good.

"What the hell are you?" Johns asked in wonder though Arista heard something in his voice that made her uneasy and tense. It sounded almost like greed and desire, but she wasn't sure how to describe it entirely.

"None of your goddamn business," she growled before moving towards the ship, clutching her side. It was quiet for a minute before Jack ran after her and walked next to her, the others could see that she was asking her a million questions.

Fry walked up to Johns and said, "still think we can trust her?" Johns looked at her to see the smug smirk on her face before they toward towards the two walking away.


End file.
